Nightmares
by Shirobun
Summary: Tsubasa still gets nightmares of his pilot mishap. Luckily, he has two people who will always be by his side to help him, even at 3am. (SideM)


p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa's eyes shot open, and the beeping of alarms and monitors and sensors faded away. His breaths were erratic, and he closed his eyes once again to calm them. Resting on his chest, he looked up at Kaoru, whose face donned the same unsatisfied scowl, even in sleep. Sprawled on the other side of Kaoru was Teru, snoring loudly. Looking at their sleeping faces, Tsubasa felt a bit less uneasy. emI'm safe. It's okay. /em/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"He wiggled out from under the blankets as quietly and discretely as possible so as not to wake his partners. Well, at least not Kaoru; once Teru's asleep, he's down for the count until morning. Slipping past the bedroom door, Tsubasa made his way into the kitchen for a glass of water to clear his mind. As he poured water into the glass, the images from his nightmare flickered in front of his eyes./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"emKashiwagi. Kashiwagi. Kashiwagi!/em/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""Kashiwagi."/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa whipped around at the sound of his name, his eyes wide with fear. Kaoru stood in the doorway of the kitchen, his stern expression softened as he saw the look on the other man's face. He knew that face; the same petrified look Tsubasa had during their first TV gig, when the shining lights reminded him of his first and last job as a pilot. Seeing him feel like that again, Kaoru felt his chest tighten./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""Tsubasa..." the words escaped his mouth before he could even attempt to act cold./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa avoided Kaoru's gaze. "Sorry to wake you," he muttered in a solemn tone that didn't seem to match his normally happy voice./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""Do you know what time it is?" Kaoru asked pointedly, narrowing his eyes./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa stayed quiet./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""It's 3:30am. We have a TV interview tomorrow at 9:00, which means we must be there at 7:00. We have to wake up by 6:30; at this rate, you'll have unsightly bags under your eyes for the whole nation to see."/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa looked down and traced his finger around the rim of the glass of water. He didn't know what to say. He knew Kaoru wasn't scolding him; they had been together long enough to know that his sharp remarks were very rarely ever spoken with true malice. This one translated into something like em'I'm worried you're not getting enough rest for tomorrow's activities', /em and the words made Tsubasa's chest feel just a bit lighter./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Kaoru sighed. "Simply water isn't going to help you calm down," he instructed, walking past Tsubasa and grabbing the glass from his hands, startled at how cold they were. Grabbing a kettle from a cupboard, he continued, "Tea is much more calming. Something herbal, like a chamomile would be good for anxiety. It has a delicate flavor, and the warmth should also help you get back to sleep." He spoke objectively as he set up two mugs with tea bags and placed the water-filled kettle on the stove./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""In addition, chamomile has apigenin, a chemical know for its anxiety-relieving properties. If your nightmares persist, however, you may need some sertraline." He turned to lean against the counter to face Tsubasa, looking up at him. Out of habit, he motioned to push up his glasses, feeling slightly flustered at the realization they weren't there. "Please keep me updated on your symptoms. I can prescribe something if necessary, you know. I'm not an active doctor anymore, of course, and my main priority is being an idol, but I can still - ah!"/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa pulled him into a tight hug. His broad shoulders encompassed Kaoru, and he held him close./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""Thank you, Kaoru." he whispered, burying his face in the smaller man's shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kaoru's ear burn red./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Kaoru wrapped his hands around Tsubasa, feeling the muscles on his back. His body was soft and warm. "We can't have you burning out on us, you know," he muttered into his shoulder. He closed his eyes. It's rare they get quiet moments together like this, with how busy the three of them are. Despite them both being inexplicably tired, embracing each other in their kitchen at 3 in the morning, it felt truly special./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"The moment was broken by the shrill hiss of the tea kettle boiling on the stove. Kaoru and Tsubasa scrambled to pull the kettle off as its screeches echoed throughout their apartment. They both let out a sigh of relief as the noise died down./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Kaoru began to pour the water into their mugs when they heard a sleepy groan from the bedroom. He and Tsubasa traded glances. emOh no. He awakens./em/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Rubbing his eyes, Teru walked into the kitchen. "You guys left me in bed all alone! How cruel..." he trailed off drowsily./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Kaoru cursed under his breath. emGreat, now we're all awake in the middle of the night. /em/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa smiled at the silliness of the situation. He wasn't scared or nervous anymore, certainly not, with the two people he loved most by his side. He pulled a third mug from the cupboard, and prepared some tea for Teru./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""Aw, you two have a midnight tea party and don't even think to invite your boyfriend!" Teru jokingly pouted, taking the mug from Tsubasa's hands./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Kaoru scoffed. "This is definitely emnot/em a midnight tea party. In fact, none of us should be awake right now. We're incredibly busy tomorrow and being awake is only going to hinder our performance. The tea should at least help us all get back to sleep."/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Teru tilted his head. "Then, why are you guys up?"/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa scratched the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed to say it out loud."I had a nightmare, and accidentally woke Kaoru up while getting out of bed."/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""Ah! Tsubasa..." Teru reached for Tsubasa's hand, gripping it tightly. The brunette blushed, both at the worry in Teru's face and the warmth of the hand gripping his own. "I'm feeling better now, don't worry!" he assured with a smile. He briefly took his hand out from Teru's grip to push up his disheveled bangs and plant a kiss right on his forehead./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Bright red bloomed across Teru's face. emTsubasa's special move! /emHe always knew just what to do to make Teru blush. emSo unfair. /em/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""I'm glad," he said softly, rubbing his thumb over Tsubasa's hand. "Wake me up too next time, though."He nudged Kaoru with a playful smile. "I won't let Kaoru have you all to himself!" Kaoru shot him a half-assed glare and he smirked. Teru leaned towards the grumpy man and kissed him gently./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"A pause./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""I'm going back to bed." Kaoru said quickly, walking past both of them towards their bedroom. emWhat! No reaction? /emTeru frowned. As Kaoru passed, Teru spotted his ears: bright red. It was suddenly obvious that he was leaving before the rest of his face turned the same shade for both he and Tsubasa to see. Teru smiled to himself, satisfied. emThat dork, he still gets embarrassed when I kiss him./em/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"He grabbed Tsubasa's hand. "We should get to bed, too, Tsubasa," Teru said softly, still sleepy. "Are you feeling better?"/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa smiled. Teru's hand was warm, and Kaoru's touch still lingered. Nothing in the world made him more happy than having these two at his side. Kaoru was often strict and harsh, and Teru was a bit of a doofus, but there's no one else he'd ever want as his unit mates and boyfriends./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;""Yes. I'm on cloud nine," he said, smiling brightly./p  
hr style="width: 375px; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-image: initial; margin: auto auto 20px; padding-top: 20px; border-bottom-color: rgba(50, 50, 50, 0.6); border-bottom-style: solid; transition: border-bottom-color 0.3s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;" /  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"The next morning, Tsubasa woke up to the smell of various breakfast items and the sizzles of the kitchen. emNo way. /emHe sat up and made his way to the source of all the delicious smells. emThere is absolutely no way Teru Tendo is awake and making breakfast. /emTeru's cooking was amazing, and the three often enjoyed his dinners after a day of work. Breakfast, however, was unthinkable. It takes both Kaoru and Tsubasa's combined efforts to pull him out of bed almost every morning, so there was no way in the world he'd get up early, emvoluntarily/em just to make food./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"And yet, there he was. Wearing only his boxers and the most ridiculous maid apron (it was a joke gift, but he wears it any time he makes anything, unironically), Teru stood at the stove, frying eggs, humming to himself./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Kaoru sat at the table, readily consuming the miso soup, rice, eggs and sausage Teru had already made. He'd never outwardly admit just how much he loved his cooking, but the restrained enthusiasm with which he consumed his food made it more than obvious./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa gasped and Teru spun around. "Ah! Tsubasa! Good morning!" he greeted with a bright smile, spatula in hand. "I just finished your breakfast! Extra, just for you," he said sweetly, turning to hand Tsubasa extra large bowls of rice and miso. He nodded towards the seat next to Kaoru, where a wide plate of eggs and sausage also waited for him. Tsubasa's eyes widened. "Thank you, Teru!"/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Teru flashed his signature goofy smile and returned to fixing his own serving of breakfast, sitting down next to Tsubasa. They both clapped their hands together and in unison, "Thanks for the food!"/p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa dug in, devouring his meal at his usual record speeds. The rice was cooked perfectly, the miso was wonderfully flavorful, and the sausage had just the right amount of spice./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"To be sitting here next to Teru and Kaoru, to be eating Teru's amazing cooking with a full day of idol work ahead, Tsubasa couldn't imagine a better life. Kaoru looked sharp, already dressed for the interview, and was still intensely eating his breakfast. Teru, still in boxers, also happily stuffed himself with eggs, sausage and rice./p  
p style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-top: 23px; margin-bottom: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out; color: #2abaff; font-family: 'Droid Serif', serif; font-size: 19px; -webkit-text-fill-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #fafafa;"Tsubasa smiled to himself. Truly, this was the embest view/em./p 


End file.
